Our Reporter
THE World Health Organisation (WHO), Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo said on Thursday that there are now 6,075 confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on African continent with 214 deaths.
But the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) claimed that death toll from the pandemic on the African continent has reached 221 and confirmed positive cases have surpassed 6,213.
The Africa CDC’s report, at the time of calculation, increased by seven deaths and 138 deaths.
The UN’s health agency gave the update in its regional official twitter account @WHOAFRO on Thursday.
It said: “They are 6,075 cases on the African continent, with 214 deaths and 478 recoveries reported.
“In past seven days, four new countries in the Region have confirmed cases of COVID-19, including Botswana, Burundi, Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone.”
The agency said South Africa currently had the highest in the region with 1,380 cases and five deaths, Algeria 847 cases with 58 deaths and Burkina Faso has 261 confirmed cases with 14 deaths.
“Nigeria has 174 confirmed cases; nine have been discharged with two deaths.”
The Africa CDC – a specialised agency of the 55-member African Union (AU) – in its latest situation update issued yesterday, said the cases were spread across 49 African countries.
The agency also disclosed that the highly COVID-19 affected countries include South Africa with 1,380 confirmed cases, Algeria with 716 confirmed cases as well as Egypt with 779 confirmed cases.
The Africa CDC also disclosed that some 469 people who have been infected with the COVID-19 have recovered across the continent as of the stated period.
Amid the rapid spread of the virus across the African continent, figures from the Africa CDC also show that more than 427 new confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported across the continent since the centre’s recent report on Wednesday.
The death toll increased from 196 to 221 as of the stated period, according to the Africa CDC.
The African Union, through Africa CDC, has already activated its Emergency Operations Centre and its Incident Management System (IMS) for the COVID-19 outbreak on Jan. 27.
The Africa CDC had also developed its third Incident Action Plan that covers the period from March 16 to April 15.
Kenya frees 4,800 prisoners to curb spread of COVID-19
Kenya’s Judiciary said yesterday it has released 4,800 prisoners, who are serving sentences for petty offences to help contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.
David Maraga, Chief Justice, said the prisoners, who were serving jail terms of less than six months, have been released by the High Court in the last two weeks after review of their files.
“New inmates are being isolated to reduce the risk of infection and movement of inmates has been highly restricted.
“Prison visits have been suspended, including visits to the staff quarters.
“Prison labour has also been reduced to a bare minimum,’’ Maraga said in a statement issued yesterday in Nairobi.
Somali president pardons 148 prisoners
Somali President Mohamed Farmajo yesterday pardoned 148 prisoners as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.
Farmajo said the release of the prisoners with petty crimes follows a report submitted to him by the country’s attorney general on the conditions of the prisoners in the wake of COVID-19.
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